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Elections

P Passed

P HB4

Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on the ballot of the candidate by the name of the political party that nominated the candidate in federal, statewide and General Assembly elections only. Independent candidates are to be identified by the word "Independent." Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections. The bill takes effect January 1, 2001. House Bill 585 has been incorporated into this bill.

Patron - Purkey

P HB71

Running for multiple offices; names on ballots. Prohibits an individual from being on the ballot for more than two offices in any election. This bill is identical to SB 432.

Patron - Callahan

P HB93

Ballots and voting equipment. Provides that, in precincts where "mark sense" ballots (for example, ballots marked by pencil and counted by a scanning device) are used, the mark sense ballot may serve as the official paper ballot with State Board approval.

Patron - Callahan

P HB425

Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that every voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be any one of the following: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, his valid Virginia driver's license, an identification card issued by a local, state, or federal government agency, or an identification card with a photograph of the voter issued by his employer. If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, a voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations. The bill also deletes a provision enacted in 1999 that provided for a pilot project in up to 10 jurisdictions to test the voter identification process. In October 1999, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the injunction issued by the Richmond City Circuit Court that prohibited implementation of the pilot program at the November 1999 elections in 10 counties and cities on the ground that all voters were not treated alike under the pilot program. House Bill 586 has been incorporated into this bill. This bill is identical to SB 1.

Patron - Devolites

P HB622

City and town elections. Allows cities and towns by ordinance to provide for the election of the governing body at the November general election rather than the May general election. Alternatively, voters may petition the circuit court asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether the city or town shall elect the mayor and council at the November general election. Several other sections are amended to eliminate the assumption that all elections for city and town governing bodies or school boards are held in May.

Patron - Rhodes

P HB693

Petition requirements for candidates and in presidential and referenda elections. Amends the requirements for circulating petitions in response to federal case law developments. See Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc., U.S.S.C. No 97-930, January 12, 1999. Current law provides that the person circulating the petition and witnessing signatures on the petition must be a registered voter eligible to vote in the pertinent election. The amendment allows a person who is not a registered voter, but who is eligible to register to vote in the pertinent election, to circulate the petition. This bill is identical to SB 418.

Patron - Sherwood

P HB695

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; final reports. Provides for the closing of a campaign after the death of a candidate and for the administrative closing of dormant campaign and committee accounts.

Patron - Sherwood

P HB699

State Board of Elections; voter registration system and collection of moneys. Authorizes the Board to provide for the production, distribution and receipt of information and lists through the Virginia Voter Registration System (VVRS) by any appropriate means including, but not limited to, paper and electronic means. This is a recommendation of the VVRS study committee and will allow for the current and envisioned VVRS processes, as well as for those that may be developed in the future. The State Board is also authorized to accept credit or debit cards in payment for lists, copies, fees, and fines. This bill is identical to SB 392.

Patron - Nixon

P HB720

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act. Provides that a candidate for the General Assembly who files campaign finance disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections by computer or electronic means will be relieved of the requirement to file copies of the reports with the local electoral board of the county or city where he resides. Candidates filing paper reports with the State Board will continue to file locally. The bill authorizes local electoral boards to accept computer or electronic reports from candidates for local office and requires the posting of those reports on the Internet. The secretaries of local electoral boards are given authority to assess fines against local candidates for late or incomplete filings. The penalty provision is revised to make it clear that the grace periods available for amending incomplete reports do not apply to the failure to file timely reports. This bill is identical to SB 417.

Patron - Cox

P HB782

Voter services at DMV offices. Allows the office of a general registrar to be located in a DMV facility. The bill also moves the provision authorizing multijurisdictional staffing for voter registration offices in DMV facilities from the voter list section of the election laws to a more appropriate location under the duties and powers of the general registrar. This bill is identical to SB 419.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB899

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; reporting requirements and deadlines. Grants a 72-hour extension of the reporting deadline in case of the death of a filer's close relative within the 72 hours prior to the deadline. This bill also authorizes the State Board of Elections or local electoral board to grant an extension up to five days in emergency situations.

Patron - Barlow

P HB977

Election laws; absentee ballot procedures. Changes wording on the envelope used to return voted absentee ballots from "an actual resident" to "a legal resident." The change conforms the language on the return envelope to the language presently used on the absentee ballot application and reduces possible confusion for voters who are temporarily residing overseas and entitled to vote absentee. House Bill 721 has been incorporated into this bill.

Patron - Van Landingham

P HB1069

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; campaign depositories. Allows the campaign committee treasurer to transfer funds from the designated depository for the committee to another account or instrument to earn interest. The bill requires complete records of the transfers and continues to require that all campaign expenses be paid through the designated depository account.

Patron - Marshall

P HB1092

Campaign finance disclosure; statements of organization filed by political committees. Requires, with certain exceptions, that a political committee provide in its statement of organization (i) an address in the Commonwealth for the committee, (ii) a residence address in the Commonwealth for the custodian, if any, of the committee's books and accounts and for at least one principal officer (the treasurer or chief executive officer) of the committee, and (iii) the name of the financial institution in the Commonwealth that will serve as the committee's designated sole depository. Present law requirements remain in effect for any national political party committee and any political committee established or controlled by a corporation doing business in Virginia and allow the listing of out-of-state addresses and depositories. This bill is identical to SB 243.

Patron - Purkey

P HB1136

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; definitions; reports of contributions and expenditures; and filing deadlines. Changes the time period for filing pre-election, large contribution reports from 72 hours after receipt to the end of the next business day after receipt. The State Board will issue instructions to provide for timely delivery of disclosure reports. The bill further provides for more complete reporting of in-kind contributions and expenditures as well as cash contributions.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB1141

Political campaign telephone calls; disclosure requirements; penalties. Requires persons who make campaign telephone calls for compensation to state information to identify the candidate, campaign committee, or other committee or person who authorized the call. The requirement applies to any series of 25 or more calls made to convey or solicit information pertaining to elections to office and the candidates and political parties participating in the elections. A violator is subject to a civil penalty up to $2,500.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB1152

Campaign advertisements; identification requirements. Specifies that the requirement for printing an authorization statement on campaign materials does not apply to a billboard or sign larger than six square feet in area, that has been authorized by the candidate and states only basic facts, i.e., the candidate's name and his political party, the elected office held, the elected office sought, and the election date. The bill also requires authorization statements on electronically transmitted campaign advertisements.

Patron - Wardrup

P HB1337

Election recounts and contests. Allows the petitioner and parties in a recount to examine the pollbooks and election materials at the preliminary hearing under security measures approved by the chief judge of the circuit court. The bill also allows examination of all types of ballots during the recount. With respect to contests of General Assembly elections, the bill extends the period to file notice of the intent to contest the election from 20 days after the election to either 30 days after the election or three days after the conclusion of a recount proceeding, whichever is later. Further adjustments are made in the timetable for an election contest.

Patron - Marshall

P HB1414

Temporary voter registration procedures for presidential and federal elections. Eliminates an inconsistency in the law by deleting a requirement that applications for temporary voter registration be made at least 30 days before an election. Other provisions of law now allow registration up to the 28th day before an election and are applicable to these temporary registrations.

Patron - Katzen

P HB1459

Elections; activities at polling places; election pages. Authorizes the local electoral board in any county or city to conduct special programs in one or more polling places for high school students to serve as election pages, learn about the election process, and assist the officers of election and voters. Pages will serve under the supervision of the chief officer of election for the polling place. This bill is identical to SB 430.

Patron - Bolvin

P HB1486

Congressional, state legislative, and local election districts and precincts; redistricting and precinct changes; and use of United States Census population counts. Provides that the General Assembly and local governing bodies shall use the census population data provided by the United States Bureau of the Census that has been used to apportion the seats in the United States House of Representatives among the states. The apportionment counts are actual enumeration counts in contrast to population counts that are statistically modified to offset undercounted and overcounted population segments. The Bureau of the Census plans to release both sets of data at this time. The bill provides further that the present freeze on changes in precinct boundaries will end May 15, rather than June 1, 2001. The freeze is a feature of the Commonwealth's participation in the United States Bureau of the Census program to provide 2000 census population data by defined election precincts. The bill also states explicitly that precinct changes may be adopted by ordinance and submitted for clearance under Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act before May 15, 2001, but precinct changes may not be implemented in elections prior to that date.

Patron - Devolites

P HB1518

Procedures in election recounts. Allows the petitioner and parties, as part of the preliminary hearing in a recount, to examine the absentee ballots when the number of absentee ballots cast is sufficient to change the outcome of the election. The examination takes place under supervision of the electoral board and security measures approved by the chief judge of the circuit court overseeing the hearing.

Patron - Rhodes

P HB1536

Primary schedule in 2001. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to reschedule the June 12, 2001, primary, and revise related schedules, if redistricting has not been completed and pre-clearance from the appropriate United States authority under § 5 of the Voting Rights Act has not been received in time to hold the primary at the regularly scheduled time. The Board may reschedule the primary to any Tuesday not later than September 11, 2001. The bill applies to elections for House of Delegates, constitutional officers, county governing bodies, and county school boards. This bill is identical to SB 773.

Patron - Cox

P HB1537

Special elections; vacancies in constitutional offices. Requires an immediate special election to fill a vacancy in a constitutional office and eliminates the appointment of an interim constitutional officer by the judges of the circuit court of the county or city except in unusual circumstances. The constitutional offices are the clerk of the circuit court, attorney for the Commonwealth, sheriff, commissioner of the revenue, and treasurer. This bill takes effect October 1, 2000. This bill is identical to SB 688.

Patron - Cox

P SB1

Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that every voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. The required identification may be any one of the following: his Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, his social security card, his valid Virginia driver's license, an identification card issued by a local, state, or federal government agency, or an identification card with a photograph of the voter issued by his employer. If a voter cannot present identification, he may still vote if he signs a statement, subject to felony penalties, that he is the named registered voter he claims to be. Under present law, this voter identification requirement applies only to certain first-time voters who have registered by mail and in certain challenged vote situations. The bill also deletes a provision enacted in 1999 that provided for a pilot project in up to ten jurisdictions to test the voter identification process. In October 1999, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the injunction issued by the Richmond City Circuit Court that prohibited implementation of the pilot program at the November 1999 elections in ten counties and cities on the ground that all voters were not treated alike under the pilot program. Senate Bill 139 has been incorporated into this bill. This bill is identical to HB 425.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB204

Presidential primaries; officers of election. Provides that any officer of election serving at the February primary shall complete his duties in connection with the primary whether or not he has been appointed to a new term beginning March 1. Emergency.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB205

Election procedures; pollbooks and registered voter lists. Extends from January 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001, the time for the State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot project to test the use at elections of one combined pollbook and list. The bill provides for reports on the results of the project from the Board to the Privileges and Elections Committees at both the 2000 and 2001 regular sessions. Emergency.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB243

Campaign finance disclosure; statements of organization filed by political committees. Requires, with certain exceptions, that a political committee provide in its statement of organization (i) an address in the Commonwealth for the committee, (ii) a residence address in the Commonwealth for the custodian, if any, of the committee's books and accounts and for at least one principal officer (the treasurer or chief executive officer) of the committee, and (iii) the name of the financial institution in the Commonwealth that will serve as the committee's designated sole depository. Present law requirements remain in effect for any national political party committee and any political committee established or controlled by a corporation doing business in Virginia and allow the listing of out-of-state addresses and depositories. This bill is identical to HB 1092.

Patron - Bolling

P SB315

Election laws; absentee voting. Permits a person to vote absentee if he will be at his work place for 11 or more hours during the 13 hours that the polls are open on election day.

Patron - Reynolds

P SB319

Presidential primaries. Provides that the Commonwealth, rather than the counties and cities, shall pay the costs of presidential primaries as provided in the appropriations act. Emergency.

Patron - Reynolds

P SB382

Presidential primaries; age qualification to participate. Provides that any 17-year-old who will be 18 by the following November general election shall be eligible to register in advance of and vote at the February presidential primary election.

Patron - Watkins

P SB392

State Board of Elections; voter registration system and collection of moneys. Authorizes the Board to provide for the production, distribution and receipt of information and lists through the Virginia Voter Registration System (VVRS) by any appropriate means including, but not limited to, paper and electronic means. This is a recommendation of the VVRS study committee and will allow for the current and envisioned VVRS processes, as well as for those that may be developed in the future. The State Board is also authorized to accept credit or debit cards in payment for lists, copies, fees, and fines. This bill is identical to HB 699.

Patron - Martin

P SB417

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act. Provides that a candidate for the General Assembly who files campaign finance disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections by computer or electronic means will be relieved of the requirement to file copies of the reports with the local electoral board of the county or city where he resides. Candidates filing paper reports with the State Board will continue to file locally. The bill authorizes local electoral boards to accept computer or electronic reports from candidates for local office and requires the posting of those reports on the Internet. The secretaries of local electoral boards are given authority to assess fines against local candidates for late or incomplete filings. The penalty provision is revised to make it clear that the grace periods available for amending incomplete reports do not apply to the failure to file timely reports. This bill is identical to HB 720.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB418

Petition requirements for candidates and in presidential and referenda elections. Amends the requirements for circulating petitions in response to federal case law developments. See, Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc., U.S.S.C. No 97-930, January 12, 1999. Current law provides that the person circulating the petition and witnessing signatures on the petition must be a registered voter eligible to vote in the pertinent election. The amendment allows a person who is not a registered voter, but who is eligible to register to vote in the pertinent election, to circulate the petition. This bill is identical to HB 693.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB419

Voter services at DMV offices. Allows the office of a general registrar to be located in a DMV facility. The bill also moves the provision authorizing multijurisdictional staffing for voter registration offices in DMV facilities from the voter list section of the election laws to a more appropriate location under the duties and powers of the general registrar. This bill is identical to HB 782.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB420

Voter registration; transfers and cancellations. Allows a voter who has moved between jurisdictions in the Commonwealth to transfer his registration without having to provide all the information originally required for registration. The registrar where the voter formerly resided is required to forward the original application for registration to the registrar for the voter's new locality. The time limit for a voter to cancel his registration is revised to coincide with the closing of the books prior to an election. Also, the State Board of Elections is given the authority to send notices requesting the confirmation of voters' addresses when they appear to have moved, and to receive the responses to such notices.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB429

Elections; voting machines and equipment. Allows a county or city, subject to the approval of the State Board of Elections, to use different voting machines or equipment within the same precinct. Present law requires the use of one system within each precinct. The change will allow, for example, the use of one special voting device or machine in a precinct for visually or physically handicapped voters.

Patron - Whipple

P SB430

Elections; activities at polling places; election pages. Authorizes the local electoral board in any county or city to conduct special programs in one or more polling places for high school students to serve as election pages, learn about the election process, and assist the officers of election and voters. Pages will serve under the supervision of the chief officer of election for the polling place. This bill is identical to HB 1459.

Patron - Whipple

P SB432

Running for multiple offices; names on ballots. Prohibits an individual from being on the ballot for more than two offices in any election. This bill is identical to HB 71.

Patron - Whipple

P SB485

Ballots and voting equipment. Provides that in precincts where "mark sense" ballots (for example, ballots marked by pencil and counted by a scanning device) are used, the mark sense ballot may serve as the official paper ballot with State Board approval. The bill carries provisions for the securing of ballots and the later counting of the ballots when a counting device becomes inoperative during an election.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

P SB580

Town of Altavista; election of council. Provides that the Town of Altavista, notwithstanding general law provisions to the contrary, will elect its mayor and council on the November general election date in even-numbered years. Emergency.

Patron - Hawkins

P SB688

Special elections; vacancies in constitutional offices. Requires an immediate special election to fill a vacancy in a constitutional office and eliminates the appointment of an interim constitutional officer by the judges of the circuit court of the county or city except in unusual circumstances. The constitutional offices are the clerk of the circuit court, attorney for the Commonwealth, sheriff, commissioner of the revenue, and treasurer. The bill takes effect October 1, 2000. This bill is identical to HB 1537.

Patron - Schrock

P SB730

Absentee ballot applications. Provides that certain absentee ballot applications from members of the uniformed services or merchant marines or persons regularly employed overseas, and their accompanying spouses or dependents, may be accepted more than 10 months before an election.

Patron - Martin

P SB773

Primary schedule in 2001. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to reschedule the June 12, 2001, primary, and revise related schedules, if redistricting has not been completed and pre-clearance from the appropriate United States authority under § 5 of the Voting Rights Act has not been received in time to hold the primary at the regularly scheduled time. The Board may reschedule the primary to any Tuesday not later than September 11, 2001. The bill applies to elections for House of Delegates, constitutional officers, county governing bodies, and county school boards. This bill is identical to HB 1536.

Patron - Miller, K.G.

F Failed

F HB503

Presidential primaries; officers of election. Provides that any officer of election serving at the February primary shall complete his duties in connection with the primary whether or not he has been appointed to a new term beginning March 1. Emergency.

Patron - Putney

F HB525

Election procedures; pollbooks and registered voter lists. Extends from January 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001, the time for the State Board of Elections to conduct a pilot project to test the use at elections of one combined pollbook and list. The bill provides for reports on the results of the project from the Board to the Privileges and Elections Committees at both the 2000 and 2001 regular sessions. Emergency.

Patron - Cox

F HB546

Local governing bodies; prohibited campaign contributions. Prohibits any member of a local governing body, or his campaign committee, from accepting a campaign contribution from any person who is an applicant or party in a matter or application pending before the governing body for a special exception to a zoning regulation, a special use permit, or the subdivision of property, with certain limits and exceptions. Penalties for violations of the prohibitions are also set forth.

Patron - Marshall

F HB585

Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on the ballot of the candidate by the name of the political party that nominated the candidate. Independent candidates are to be identified by the word "Independent." Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections. The bill takes effect January 1, 2001. This bill has been incorporated into House Bill 4.

Patron - Black

F HB586

Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that every voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. This bill has been incorporated into House Bill 425.

Patron - Black

F HB682

Absentee voting. Provides that employees of and volunteers for the offices of local electoral boards, registrars, and the State Board of Elections, who have office duties on election day, may vote by absentee ballot. The bill also creates, for certain military and overseas voters who file one application for all elections in a calendar year, an exception to the rule that absentee ballot applications will not be accepted more than 10 months before an election.

Patron - Louderback

F HB694

Voter registration; transfers and cancellations. Allows a voter who has moved between jurisdictions in the Commonwealth to transfer his registration without having to provide all the information originally required for registration. The registrar where the voter formerly resided is required to forward the original application for registration to the registrar for the voter's new locality. The time limit for a voter to cancel his registration is revised to coincide with the closing of the books prior to an election. Also, the State Board of Elections is given the authority to send notices requesting the confirmation of voters' addresses when they appear to have moved, and to receive the responses to such notices.

Patron - Sherwood

F HB721

Election laws; absentee ballot procedures. Changes wording on the envelope used to return voted absentee ballots from "an actual resident" to "a legal resident." The change conforms the language on the return envelope to the language presently used on the absentee ballot application and reduces possible confusion for voters who are temporarily residing overseas and entitled to vote absentee. This bill has been incorporated into House Bill 977.

Patron - Cox

F HB788

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; exemption from reporting requirements for certain local office candidates. Provides that a candidate for local office may seek an exemption from the requirements to file periodic reports of contributions and expenditures. To qualify for the exemption, the local candidate must certify that he will not solicit or accept campaign contributions, that he will not contribute personally more than, or expend more than, $1,000 in his campaign, and that he will keep appropriate records for his campaign.

Patron - Deeds

F HB807

Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on ballots of party candidates by the name of their political parties and of other candidates by the use of the term "Independent" or another designation as provided by the candidates. Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections. The bill takes effect January 1, 2001.

Patron - Marshall

F HB1139

State Board of Elections; authority to provide for enforcement of election laws and investigations of violations. Provides for concurrent jurisdiction for the State Board, as well as the Attorney General, to conduct investigations of election law violations.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

F HB1298

Local electoral boards; appointments. Provides that the county or city political party committees of the two major political parties, rather than the circuit court judges, will appoint the members of the local electoral board and fill vacancies on the board. The House approved a floor substitute restoring the appointment power to the circuit court judges with some revisions to the present law and then defeated the bill.

Patron - Sherwood

F SB104

Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification project. Deletes the subsection, enacted in 1999, that provided for a pilot project in up to 10 jurisdictions to test a voter identification requirement. In October 1999, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the injunction issued by the Richmond City Circuit Court that prohibited implementation of the pilot program at the November 1999 elections in the selected counties and cities.

Patron - Miller, Y.B.

F SB139

Elections; procedures at the polls; voter identification. Adds a requirement that every voter present a form of identification when he offers to vote at the polls. This bill has been incorporated into Senate Bill 1.

Patron - Martin

F SB140

Elections; form of ballots; political party names on ballots. Provides for identification on the ballot of the candidate by the name of the political party that nominated the candidate. Independent candidates are to be identified by the word "Independent." Present law prohibits party identification on the ballot except in presidential elections. The bill takes effect January 1, 2001.

Patron - Martin

F SB210

Elections; constitutional officers; candidacy requirement. Requires nonpartisan nomination for candidates for constitutional offices (sheriff, attorney for the Commonwealth, treasurer, commissioner of the revenue, and clerk of the circuit court) by petition as provided by law for independent candidates.

Patron - Barry

F SB229

Presidential primaries. Prohibits the use of a pledge or loyalty oath to support the political party's candidates as a qualification for voter participation in the presidential primary. The present law authorizes the requirement of a pledge by the party conducting the primary subject to approval by the State Board of Elections. Other primaries in Virginia are open to all qualified voters.

Patron - Potts

F SB516

Campaign Finance Reform Act. Imposes limits on contributions to candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and the General Assembly. The limit on contributions by individuals and other persons to a candidate is $2,000 per election cycle; on contributions by political action committees (PACs), $4,000; and on political party committees, $10,000. There are no limits on contributions by a candidate to his own campaign. Civil penalties for violations of the limits may equal up to two times the excess contribution amounts.

Patron - Puckett

F SB570

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; reporting and investigating violations. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to conduct its own investigation or audit when there is a possible violation of the Act or the provisions banning campaign fund raising during legislative sessions.

Patron - Rerras

F SB647

Absentee voting procedures. Provides that in-person absentee voting may take place in a public building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or an agency of the Commonwealth as well as in public buildings owned or leased by the locality. This change will allow, for example, in-person absentee voting at a Division of Motor Vehicles center and is a recommendation of the SJR 423 election laws study.

Patron - Whipple

C Carried Over

C HB392

General Assembly Campaign Finance Reform Act. Imposes limits on contributions to General Assembly candidates and provides for the voluntary acceptance of expenditure limits by candidates for the General Assembly. The limit on contributions is $2,500 per election cycle on contributions by any person or committee to a candidate for the General Assembly. The limit is $5,000 per election cycle to a candidate for the General Assembly who declares as a Campaign Finance Reform Act Candidate and agrees to abide by the expenditure limits set out in the Act. The expenditure limit for a candidate for the House of Delegates is $125,000 in an election year and for a candidate for the Senate is $250,000 in an election year. The expenditure limit in a non-election year is 50 percent of the election year limit. Civil penalties for violations of the limits may equal three times the excess amounts.

Patron - Hamilton

C HB587

Primary elections; voter registration by political party. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote beginning January 1, 2001. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2001, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation to the general registrar. Voters may change their party affiliation or independent status by written notice at any time except the 28 days before an election when the registration records are closed. The state party chairman must notify the State Board by January 31 of each year whether the party will close its primaries and permit only registered party members to participate or whether it will open its primaries to party members and independent voters.

Patron - Black

C HB656

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; penalties. Provides for a civil penalty of $500 for the failure to file a campaign report due during the four months before through the 35 days after the November election. Present law imposes a penalty of up to $300 for either late or incomplete filings. The bill requires the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to assess the penalty for missing the filing deadline and to give public notice on the Internet of the penalty and violator within five days of the missed deadline. The bill does not change the $300 fine now applicable to timely but incomplete filings before and after the November election. The bill also amends the special provision that imposes a penalty for each day that a statewide office campaign is in violation, increasing the daily fine from $100 to $300.

Patron - Rhodes

C HB657

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; audits of certain campaign committees. Requires the State Board of Elections to have an audit conducted of each candidate campaign committee for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General and of at least 10 percent of the candidate campaign committees, selected randomly, for the General Assembly. No audit shall be conducted for committees expending less than $10,000. The State Board is required to report its audit findings to the Governor and General Assembly by the January 31 following the election year for the office.

Patron - Rhodes

C HB827

Primary elections; voter registration by political party. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote beginning January 1, 2001. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2001, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation to the general registrar. Voters may change their party affiliation or independent status by written notice at any time except the 28 days before an election when the registration records are closed. The state party chairman must notify the State Board by January 31 of each year whether the party will close its primaries and permit only registered party members to participate or whether it will open its primaries to party members and independent voters.

Patron - Marshall

C HB928

General Assembly Campaign Finance Reform Act. Imposes limits on contributions to candidates for the General Assembly. The limit on contributions by individuals and other persons to a General Assembly candidate is $2,000 per election cycle; on contributions by political action committees, $10,000; and on contributions by political party committees, $20,000. There are no limits on contributions by a candidate to his own campaign. Civil penalties for violations of the limits may equal two times the excess contribution amounts.

Patron - Deeds

C HB1073

Campaign Finance Reform Act. Imposes limits on contributions to candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and the General Assembly. The limit on contributions by individuals and other persons to a statewide office candidate is $10,000 per election cycle and, on contributions by political action committees (PACs), $20,000. The limit on contributions by individuals and other persons to a General Assembly candidate is $2,000 per election cycle and, on contributions by PACs, $4,000. There are no limits on contributions by political party committees or by a candidate to his own campaign. Civil penalties for violations of the limits may equal up to two times the excess contribution amounts.

Patron - Melvin

C HB1081

Restoration of civil rights to certain persons. Provides that a person, who has lost his civil rights because of a non-violent felony conviction, may petition the circuit court of the locality where he was convicted or where he now resides, for restoration of his civil rights. If the court is satisfied that the petitioner, five or more years previously, had completed service of sentence, probation and parole, it may enter an order restoring the petitioner's civil rights as of the 90th day after the order. The Governor may act to deny restoration of rights during the 90-day period.

Patron - Jones, J.C.

C HB1137

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; audits of certain campaign committees; penalties. Requires the State Board of Elections to have random audits conducted of at least 50 percent of the candidate campaign committees for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General and of at least 10 percent of the candidate campaign committees for the General Assembly. No audit shall be conducted for committees expending less than $10,000. The State Board is required to report its audit findings to the Governor and General Assembly by the January 31 following the election year for the office. The bill also increases the possible civil penalty for the failure to file a campaign report due during the four months before through the 35 days after the November election from $300 to $2,000 and for incomplete filings from $300 to $1,000, the amount of the penalty to be determined by the gravity of the violation.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

C HB1138

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; campaign reports. Requires any candidate for the General Assembly, who accepts contributions or makes expenditures of more than $5,000, to file campaign finance disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections by computer or electronic means. Other candidates for the General Assembly will continue to have the option to file by computer or electronic means. Any candidate for the General Assembly who does file by computer or electronic means will be relieved of the requirement to file copies of the reports with the local electoral board of the county or city where he resides. The bill authorizes local electoral boards to accept computer or electronic reports from candidates for local office.

Patron - Jones, S.C.

C HB1433

Primary elections; voter registration by political party; closed primaries. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote beginning January 1, 2001. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2001, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation to the general registrar. Voters may change their party affiliation or independent status by written notice at any time except the 28 days before an election when the registration records are closed. Only voters who have registered as being affiliated with the political party conducting the primary shall be eligible to participate in that primary.

Patron - O'Brien

C HB1449

Campaign contributions by foreign nationals. Prohibits the making or acceptance of campaign contributions by foreign nationals in connection with elections or nominations to any public office in the Commonwealth.

Patron - Jones, D.C.

C SB253

Elections; central absentee voter precinct procedures. Authorizes electoral boards to adopt certain alternative procedures in localities with central counting precincts and in which all absentee ballots are cast on paper ballots that must be counted manually. The alternatives include staffing by two, rather than three, officers before 5:00 p.m. and beginning to count ballots at 5:00 p.m. rather than 7:00 p.m.

Patron - Puckett

C SB378

Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; audits of certain campaign committees. Requires the State Board of Elections to have an audit conducted of each candidate campaign committee for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General and of at least five percent of the candidate campaign committees, selected randomly, for the General Assembly. No audit shall be conducted for committees expending less than $10,000. The State Board is required to report its audit findings to the Governor and General Assembly by the January 31 following the election year for the office.

Patron - Rerras

C SB431

Elections; local electoral boards and general registrars. Prohibits an electoral board member or general registrar from continuing in office after his spouse or other close relative files as a candidate for an office to be filled in whole or in part by the voters of the member's or general registrar's county or city.

Patron - Whipple

C SB566

Primary elections; voter registration by political party. Adds party affiliation to the information that an applicant is asked to provide when registering to vote beginning January 1, 2001. The applicant may indicate that he is an independent. Voters registered prior to January 1, 2001, will be designated as independent unless they provide a political party designation to the general registrar. Voters may change their party affiliation or independent status by written notice at any time except the 28 days before an election when the registration records are closed. The state party chairman must notify the State Board by January 31 of each year whether the party will close its primaries and permit only registered party members to participate or whether it will open its primaries to party members and independent voters.

Patron - Martin

C SB772

Local electoral boards; appointments. Provides that the county or city political party committees of the two major political parties, rather than the circuit court judges, will appoint the members of the local electoral board and fill vacancies on the board.

Patron - Miller, K.G.